Rain gutters are one of those things that people tend to put off. Having them installed, cleaning them out, replacing them – we think all these things can wait, but we’re not doing ourselves or our homes any favors when we let these things go for too long.

We’ve asked the experts, and there answers are in…When should you install rain gutters?Continue reading →

Having a leaking or windy roof tends to put a person in a state of alarm. You know you won’t be able to relax inside your own home until the thing is fixed, and you’re probably aware that the problem will worsen the longer you leave it unattended.

So, naturally, you go and look for a local contractor that will fix you up with some patches. In smaller areas, these types of businesses are usually ran by honest, trustable and experienced people, typically as a family business. However, chances are you live in a city with many different roofers to choose from, all seemingly using state-of-the-art methods and offering good deals, making your choice difficult or downright stressful. After all, patching up a roof on your home is one of the jobs you can’t afford to have botched. But how can you know who’s really offering what they claim, and who’s going to rip you off and leave your roof in a wanting state? A little tip while you are getting your roofing done: many roofing companies will also do rain gutter installations while they are putting on your new roof. Many times, you can get a better price on the rain gutters if you have them do a bid for both the roofing and rain gutters at the same time.

Comparing the prices and looking for a bargain

We all want a good deal every time we part with our money. Ideally, the service would be great and the price would be affordable, but this can’t always be the case. A good way to start off is using the internet to find every listing for a roofing company in your area. Then, compare these prices with as many other roofing companies in the state (and country) as possible. Eliminate any contractor demanding unreasonable fees – this is more often an issue in smaller zones, where businesses will try to use a lack of competition as justification to drive the prices up. Bargain prices are good, but be wary of roofers asking for much less than others and ask yourself: why aren’t they charging more?

If your list isn’t too large, feel free to make a few calls regarding your issue. Explain the problem your roof is having and ask how they’ll go about fixing it. Pay attention to how confident the roofers sound in their own ability to complete the task, and try to compare the feedback from several companies. This will let you know whether you are dealing with someone who utilizes subpar methods or is trying to include unnecessary services. An informed customer ends up being a happy customer.

Checking out those reviews

Speaking of information, you can’t get much better and more impartial than reviews from past customers. If you know people who’ve had problems with their roofs and had to seek out a contractor, great. If not, get online once more and browse pages like Yelp to get user feedback.

Pay attention to what ex-customers are saying about every aspect of the roofing company: the employees, the methods, the prices, the time needed and so forth. Also, be on the lookout for ‘shills’ – sometimes, companies will pay people to write positive reviews and make it look like they’re not affiliated with the company in any way, when in reality, what they’re offering couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Online sellers and retail stores aren’t exactly best friends. The popularity of the internet and advancements in shipping and transportation have made ordering stuff online a breeze. It’s also made the job of retailers more difficult – while the internet might help you spread word of your retail business, it also pits you against sellers that do most of their business online.

This has made it difficult for stores to keep up in terms of prices as they deal with additional costs of running a real-world business. We’re all familiar with the pros and cons of both methods: buying online is cheaper but a cat-in-the-bag deal whereas buying from retail stores is more expensive but lets you examine the goods. But is there a way for customers to get online prices from local retail stores?

Getting the best deal – at any cost?

Since most stores let customers freely examine an item regardless of intent to purchase, people have devised a sly way to get the best of both worlds: you check an item out in the store and, should you decide to buy it, make the purchase online.

It sounds good, but there are a few issues with this practice. Most importantly, it hurts the business in the worst way, essentially making it send its clientele over to the competitors. Many have an issue with this and prefer to either buy online right away or buy the item from the store after examining (and liking) it. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about harming someone financially in order to buy things at online prices from retail stores – you’ll just need a keen eye.

Discounts and multiple stores – picking the right time and place

One thing online stores oftentimes lack are attractive discounts. Due to surplus goods or the arrival of new ones, retail stores can offer discounts that range anywhere from a mild 5-10 percent to 50 or even 75 percent that will make you feel as if you are robbing the store instead of buying from it.

Of course, we can’t always get what we want at a discount. There’s two ways around this: you either buy something similar to what you originally wanted, or you talk to an employee in the store. The latter can prove to be particularly effective in some stores, as they will have no trouble informing customers of upcoming discounts weeks or even months before schedule – if you know an employee on a personal level, even better.

Also, remember that not all stores inside an area boast the same prices. Different businesses have different running costs, even if they offer the same merchandise. With a little bit of searching, you might be able to find a local store that sells its goods at online prices, or very close to it. Most often, these will be larger stores belonging to known or semi-known brands.

Online purchases might be going strong, but plenty of people still find that nothing beats buying at a local retail store, both due to convenience and the fact that it helps support businesses in your area.

If you’ve decided to let professionals handle your carpet cleaning, you made the right choice. Unlike home owners, carpet cleaners have everything needed to complete this difficult (and often icky) task. All that’s left now is picking the right people for the job. If you care a lot about your carpets, or simply have multiple ones and need to save money on cleaning, you’ll probably be hunting the very best carpet cleaning deal you can get.

Your ideal carpet cleaners should have experience, new and effective tools, reasonable prices and a positive attitude towards customers. You don’t want your delicate fabrics falling into the hands of anyone but the very best, do you? Here’s how you’ll know whom to choose among the many.

Knowing what each carpet cleaner provides

After you’ve compiled a list of carpet cleaners in your area and read the reviews to make sure they’re not bad apples, it’s time to make contact. A carpet cleaner you want to do business with should be glad to answer any and all questions you might have.

These can include: what sort of equipment they use, which chemicals they intend to place on the carpets (and whether these are eco-friendly), how long you’ll have to wait, and of course the price of the whole thing. Once you’ve got enough info on enough cleaners, compare one to the other and see who’s offering the most and asking the least. You won’t be able to know how good of a job they’ll do until it’s actually done, but chances are that if past customers praise them, the staff is kind and the prices are manageable, they’re good enough for your precious rugs.

Some, including many San Antonio carpet cleaners, offer coupons as part of their package. The way these work can vary, but they’re generally a good way to save some money, especially when it comes to more expensive cleaners. If you have a carpet cleaner’s discount coupon on your hands and you’ve read some reviews, there’s no reason not to give them a shot.

Finding ‘the’ carpet cleaner for you

While lots of cleaners will get it done right more likely than not, you should aim to find a cleaner you can count on for future cleaning jobs – round-the-clock emergency service is almost a must. Why? With each passing minute, a stain becomes more and more ingrained in the fabric. As hours pass, the chances of a complete recovery lower. A couple of days gone by probably mean that the stain is now at least partially permanent.

While you might use their services less, your favorite carpet cleaner will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your favorite food delivery or clothing store. Scratch that – due to how expensive carpets can be (and how attached people can get to them), your carpet cleaner probably holds a more important role. A great deal on carpet cleaning is nice. Being able to count on a good carpet-cleaning deal whenever you might need it, no matter the time and circumstance? Even better.

Some view coupons and discount codes as little more than marketing ploys meant to lure easily-swayed customers in. In reality, they’re often one of the best ways to get a good deal (or even a bargain), provided you can actually get your hands on one for the product or service you want.

Many websites offer coupons and discount codes, but some rise above the others and are pretty much the go-to places for those wanting to get codes without knowing someone who knows someone. Here are 5 top places to get online discount codes, although there are many more out there.

bargainist.com: How can you not trust a site named like that, eh? The Bargainist offers online coupons for all sorts of products, ranging from clothes and jewelry to computers and computer parts. It’s updated on a daily basis, sorts Amazon products and even has a ‘Freebies’ section. There, you can find various promotions like food, coffee and Android apps. Best of all, the site is simple and easy to use – you’ll have no trouble finding what you need.

fatwallet.com: Speaking of names… FatWallet’s biggest strength is probably the fact that it’s user-powered. Instead of a few people that are running the site having to find deals on their own, hundreds of thousands of users review different coupon sites from all over the web, sharing their experiences. Unlike many of these sites, FatWallet also has a program that lets you earn a little money when you buy from their Cash Back affiliate program, which includes some well-known retailers like Barnes & Noble.

retailmenot.com: With over 20,000 stores to choose from, you stand a great chance of finding a discount for pretty much anything. Both the site’s owners and its users submit coupons, and there is even a RetailMeNot browser extension that lets you know when relevant discount codes have been submitted (don’t want anyone else grabbing them, of course).

freeshipping.com: Contrary to what the name might have you believe, this site isn’t all about getting you that free shipping – it also features coupons and codes like most other websites of its kind. The site only has around a thousand stores featured, which is much less than many of its competitors, but they’re still good ones – NewEgg, Nike, Target and the like. If costly shipping is your most hated part of online shopping, this site might come as a blessing. Worst case, you can keep it open in your browser for stress relief.

dealio.com: Dealio’s been around for a while and is still offering good deals on lots of products. It’s not as flashy as some of its competitors (nor as extensive), but it’s still a good place to scoop up the latest bargains, especially if other sites failed you. Like RetailMeNot, Dealio also lets the users submit their own coupons to help others who are searching for good deals. There are also categories for some well-known ‘shopping holidays’ like Black Friday – maybe the right coupon can help you avoid having to fight all those people wanting to get to the bargains first.

Some shoppers, be it online or offline, are content with buying whatever they like after a quick glance at the price. Others, however, prefer to get the best deal they can on everything, from cars and houses to food and toilet paper. No matter if it’s due to a lack of means or simply the desire to buy well, finding good deals is a skill on its own.

Getting a good deal online seems easy enough – just compare the prices on several websites and make your choice. Sites like eBay and Amazon let you check what many different retailers are offering on the same page, greatly reducing your effort when trying to get a good deal. Still, behind every attractive price tag online, there are things you should check before making any hasty decisions.

Knowing why the price is where it is

Big surprise: when retailers get up in the morning, they rarely think “I’m going to lower prices so customers can save money!” In order for a seller to offer something at a low price, it must benefit him to do so from a business standpoint. It doesn’t have to be something as nefarious as a faulty line of items; it can simply mean mean that the manufacturer brought the price down due to newer models in circulation. To know whether an online deal really is good, you need to know why it appears such in the first place.

Some retailers charge a lot for shipping or use shipping services and methods of questionable efficiency. They might therefore try to compensate by lowering the price of their products down a bit. A deal might seem good, but are you willing to wait twice as long for it to arrive than it should, or end up paying shipping costs that round up the price back to what it would be in a better store?

Seaching for prices online

What about the conditions that the items arrive in? Certain online retailers are notorious for the inability of their goods to arrive in pristine conditions. Once they attract some negative feedback, they’ll lower the prices and count on future customers not wanting to go through the hassle of returning the item (if they even accept returns).

Is the item even new? Sometimes, less-reputable online retailers will ‘neglect to mention’ that the item isn’t brand new, which is why it costs less.

The best way to know if you are getting a good deal online, and often the only way, is word-of-mouth. Well, word of fingers, to be specific. If you’re concerned that an online deal might not be all that it seems, look far and wide for past customers of the store, including lesser-known websites like forums and blogs. You’ll always find a few cases of difficult customers or slanderous competitors, but if there are a lot of naysayers warning people to stay away, you might want to pay a little extra to order from a more reputable seller. Remember: there’s more to an online retailer than a neat website and bargain prices.